Savior
by CSIMiamiLove
Summary: 16 year-old Mel Weatherly becomes suspect in a murder case- her own foster parents'. While Horatio works to prove her innocence, he can't help but see himself reflected in her. Through justice and its' imperfections, lives will be changed forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Savior**

"Francis?" Horatio exclaimed as he gently nudged the Texan Detective. Frank finished his conversation with a fellow homicide detective and turned his attention to his friend and boss.

"Yeah Horatio?" he questioned lightly. The Lieutenant's eyes motioned towards Interrogation One as he spoke.

"What have we got?"

"Name's Melissa Weatherly. Age sixteen, foster child. Patrol picked her up in Hialeah Gardens this morning. She's our number one suspect right now."

"Forgive me for questioning you, but surely she isn't the only foster child in the household?" The seasoned investigator flipped through reports as they were handed off to him.

_Brian and Sarah Calbert, licensed foster parents. Shot to death inside their home located in Coral Gables. Guardians of two foster children: Weatherly, Melissa age 16, Declan, Timothy age 15. _

"She's not. They have that in common, but there's one thing that they don't."

"And what would that be?" Horatio continued. The two officers looked toward the glass-walled room where the young girl sat.

"Timothy Declan has an alibi and a negative GSR test. She doesn't."

* * *

Horatio stood at the opposite end of the table in interrogation. As usual, his trademark sunglasses sat snugly between his fingers. He stood at full height and the wafting sunlight caught on the steel of his ultra-marine irises. With a small tilt of the head, he became engrossed in his own primal stance. Coupled with his smoky tone of voice and own brand of interrogation tactics, Lieutenant Horatio Caine was always a force to be reckoned with.

"Melissa, my name is Horatio Caine. I work for the crime lab."

She simply nodded.

"I'll be blunt, Melissa. It looks as though you murdered your foster parents."

This time, she looked up and into his eyes. Natural instinct prevailed and he read into her expression. He could tell that she was somewhat shocked by his suspicions, but any lasting signs of such feeling faded.

"Lieutenant, I didn't kill Brian and Sarah." Her tone was solid and certain. Horatio's eyebrows drew upwards and fell quickly, his act of uncertainty intentional.

"I have a positive swab for GSR that tells me otherwise." The Lieutenant countered.

"Gunshot residue. On my hands?" She questioned accordingly. The redheaded Lieutenant dipped his head downward in a sly nod. In turn, Melissa sat up fully and met his glare with a cold one of her own.

"Brian and Sarah waked around the house like me and Tim weren't even there. They weren't great parents, but I would never shoot them." Mel continued, breathing out in slight frustration.

"Tell me about Timothy, Mel."

"We were placed at the house at the same time. He'd only been in one other foster home in his life. This one was my third."

"Did he ever get angry or hurt anyone?"

"Never. You could tell he missed his first foster family though. Tim came from a family out of Kendall. They couldn't take care of him anymore so they shipped him here to Miami."

Horatio pay close attention as always, piecing a metaphorical puzzle together in his mind as she went.

"Sometimes he would ask me about where I came from and we'd talk for hours on end about it. He used to go, "How the hell do you do it?"

"And how did you do it, Miss Weatherly?" Horatio began to show ease in his words and in his facial expressions.

"I got used to it. It sounds more simple than it really is, Lieutenant. Other than what you see as a cop, I don't expect you to understand otherwise. No offense."

The redheaded officer had to hold back a wry smirk. _Believe me, I understand, _he thought. Within the deepest lengths of his own childhood, Horatio had been subject to his father's drunken abuse both verbally and physically. He knew to never get emotionally attached during a case, but he saw something in Melissa Weatherly that he'd seen in himself so many years ago.

Pure innocence.

* * *

_Follow the evidence, Caine. A suspect is always a suspect for a reason. She's either innocent, or extremely guilty. Time to see what pieces of the puzzle we have. _

For two hours, he poured through what evidence they had. Instead of sitting behind his desk signing paperwork, he read through crime scene reports and structured the scene bit by bit. Calleigh knocked lightly on the door frame, coffee and MDPD folder in hand.

"Missing lunch, Horatio?" Cal spoke kindly while setting the Styrofoam cup in front of her boss. He raised his head and offered her a grateful smile.

"Just getting up to speed. Is that your prelim report?"

"It is. I ran the striations through the system. No priors. I won't have anything other than bullet caliber until we find a gun to compare the rounds to."

His eyes scanned the page, the only major detail being that the recovered bullets were 9 mil. Calleigh was right. Until they found a weapon, they were at a halt with ballistics. Horatio cleared his throat and indulged in the smooth taste of black coffee as it ran past his taste buds and down the back of his throat.

"Thank you, Calleigh. Keep me posted, alright?"

"Always." Cal exited layout and left him to his work. The Lieutenant was glad to have the luxury of hot coffee to keep him alert. The past week had been an unforgiving one full of backlogged evidence and a heavy caseload. And with it, came an endless stack of paperwork and reports to sign off on.

Unlike the week prior, the start to this one had been utterly slow. Being condemned to his desk for almost an entire week made Horatio thankful to get out of the lab again.

Now, he had to do what he did best. Justice.

**A/N: This begins a new series for me aside from my DuCaine work. I hope my loyal readers will stick with me on both journeys! I have a lot planned for this story, along with my other fiction, so be on the lookout! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**A/N: Thank you all for the great reviews on the first chapter! I'm very happy to have you all on board and I truly hope you enjoy chapter two!**

As he ran a hand through his auburn hair, Horatio sighed in frustration. Timothy Declan had an alibi, and a negative GSR test. Melissa didn't. Tim Declan had joined in a pick-up game of baseball with a few friends around 9:30 this morning. Mel sat in the sidelines watching, that was for sure. However, the positive GSR test and where she'd been picked up by patrol weren't helping her. Tim admitted that she left ten minutes later and didn't see her again until they both were escorted into MDPD.

Evidence had many ways of being interpreted and so far, only one way panned out.

_Time to have another talk with Melissa,_ he decided.

* * *

"Melissa, I wanna know why you were in Hialeah Gardens." Horatio demanded. The way she conducted herself was respectable. She sat straight in her seat and looked into the eyes of the authoritative officer addressing her each time he spoke.

He assumed that the dark lettering engraved on his badge gave him away in terms of rank. After all, it was apart of his natural stance to pull back his jacket and reveal the gleaming item.

"I try to go up there every Saturday. Me and a couple of friends that I met when I was with my second family get together for street hockey. Sounds pretty stupid to go all the way to Hialeah Gardens for that, doesn't it?" She laughed.

"Not at all, Melissa. Can anyone validate that?" As the question left his mouth, she clasped her hands on the shining tabletop and shook her head.

"That's the problem. I take a bus halfway and then walk. I had just got off the bus when your officers picked me up. But you can ask my friends, they'll tell you. I'm there almost every Saturday. Want me to write the address down?"

He nodded his head, making a note to send Eric once she wrote it down. From his jacket, pulled out a small notepad and the officer positioned in the corner of the room handed off a pen. Talking to Melissa's hockey pals wouldn't do much in way of proving her innocence, but Horatio figured that if anything, it was a start.

As she scribbled the address down, yet another question came to mind.

"Melissa, I need you to tell me everything you did before leaving for Hialeah this morning." Horatio spoke firmly, hoping to establish a broader timeline.

"Me and Tim left around nine fifteen this morning. He was going to the baseball diamond a couple of blocks from the house to play a game with some of his friends. I stayed for ten minutes and threw the ball around before I left for the bus stop."

The redhead recapped everything in his mind. _So they leave around nine fifteen, and reach the baseball field around nine thirty. Mel stays for a few minutes, and then leaves Tim to his friends.  
_

Horatio nodded in understanding, turning to exit the interrogation room. He stopped dead in his tracks when Melissa called him back.

"What's wrong, Miss Weatherly?" he questioned her attentively. The young girl was wide-eyed with sudden realization.

"Lieutenant, it's about Tim. I almost forgot. Oh my God."

"What about Tim, Melissa?" His voice was urgent and serious as he focused his gaze on her own.

"We were half way to the field and Tim told me that he forgot his glove. I tossed my keys to him and he ran back to the house. I kept walking and he caught up to me like... ten minutes later. "

The Lieutenant absorbed her words just as quickly as she spoke them. This, was their break. Melissa barely had time to blink as the redheaded man ducked out of the room.

* * *

Eric Delko stood across from his boss and brother-in-law in layout. He'd been summoned from his lab by his superior and judging by his body language and tone, Horatio was adamant.

"Eric, I need you back at the crime scene. Tear everything apart if you have to. We need to find that gun."

"Any specific place I should search H?" Eric asked.

"Timothy Declan's room. Go."

Delko grabbed his kit and nodded to his boss before leaving layout. Horatio was not left alone for long before Calleigh ran in by his side.

"I got your message. I pulled the GSR tests on Melissa." She pulled a glossy MDPD photograph from a file folder and handed it off. The small streak of detected gunshot residue on the test patch glowed orange, every detail enhanced by the high defined camera.

After scrutinizing the photo for a few moments, he turned to his second in command and spoke through the faint smirk on his face.

"Take a look at this and tell me what you see."

She scanned the picture carefully, analyzing the pattern bit by bit until the look on her own face matched Horatio's one of realization.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "It's passive transfer."

_Bingo, _he thought to himself. This worked to prove Melissa's innocence, but they were missing something.

"When PD picked up Timothy, he had a baseball mit on his person, didn't he?" Horatio was already aware of the fact from the reports, but he looked for Calleigh's confirmation despite it.

"Yes he did. Want me to pull it from evidence?"

"Please do. Thank you Calleigh."

The Southern CSI practically ran across the hall to the evidence locker and scrawled her name across the chain of custody sheet. Once she had the box in hand, she made her way back to layout. Horatio took the liberty of taking a blade to the evidence tape and pulled the dark leather mit from the box.

He pulled a crime light from Cal's kit and shined the beam of UV light inside the glove. It glowed with what he presumed to be GSR. With a devilish smirk, he sliced the mock leather and pulled back the layer over the palm. Making sure to be thorough and precise, he swept the test swatch over the spot and allowed Calleigh to do the honors.

She sprayed the patch and they both watched in suspense as the Lieutenant's initial observation was confirmed. He snapped his gloves off in an instance and reached for his phone after offering Calleigh his thanks.

"Nice work."

"You too, boss. Go get 'em."

* * *

Timothy Declan was hardly an inch shorter than Melissa Weatherly. He was a lean young man with thick black hair and commanding navy shaded eyes. However, he found the tall redheaded cop standing in front of him to be so much more intimidating.

"Timothy, I want the truth. I know you backtracked on your way to the baseball field."

Tim was taken aback by the sternness in the Lieutenant's words. But nevertheless, he held strong and refused to show any weakness.

"I forgot my glove, so what? I knew Mel would say something to you." Horatio smiled mischievously and tucked his head downward to shadow his grin.

"Speaking of your glove, we found gunshot residue inside it. We didn't need Melissa to tell us that, now did we?"

The younger of the two men hesitated to rebuke and shifted in his chair. Before anyone had the chance to say another word, Eric knocked on the window, an anxiousness running through him as he waited for his superior.

"I got it H!" Delko announced confidently. Horatio felt a sense of raw satisfaction course through his veins and continued.

"Where was it, Eric?"

"I did what you told me to do. I tore Tim's room apart. I moved his bed and found a hollow spot in the wall. He had a sheet of painted cardboard covering a hole. It was a nine mil, just like the bullets recovered from Brian and Sarah Calbert."

"Nicely done, brother. Did you tell Calleigh that it was a priority?"

"Yeah. She's testing and running the comparison as we speak. Thanks H." Eric gave his brother a grateful pat on the shoulder and walked back towards his own lab. As the redhead turned back around, he met the eyes of who was certain to be their killer.

Of all the things he was sure of, he added one more thing to the list.

The tables had turned.

* * *

Lieutenant Caine couldn't help but feel impatient waiting for his Ballistics expert to bring him her final report. He'd been pacing the bull pen for almost twenty-five minutes when he saw her coming toward him. She spoke no words, for the hand-off of the MDPD file folder said it all.

"Thank you ma'am." He uttered simply. Barely holding in his rage, he strolled back into Interrogation and fiercely glared at Timothy Declan before angrily tossing the Ballistics report across the table. The teenaged boy flinched and cursed under his breath before shooting the redhead a hateful glance.

"Like I said before, Timothy. I wanna know the truth."

Horatio assumed his own predatory stance, tilting his head to the side and gripping the titanium arms of his sunglasses ever harder. Declan was trapped in a proverbial corner, boxed in by evidential hounds. He knew that even if there was such thing as the luck of being found innocent, the man before him would convict him on his own terms.

"I waited for the perfect chance, and I got it. I ran back to the house and went to my room. Brian and Sarah were in the kitchen so I grabbed the piece and capped them both before they had the chance to do any stupid shit."

"Then what?"

"I stuck the gun back in the wall and grabbed my glove. I went to leave and remembered the crap that gets on your hands, so I washed them and caught up with Mel."

His words lacked emotion on so many levels, but it wasn't anything that Horatio wasn't used to.

"And after that, you let Melissa use it because you knew if you put it back on, you would take the fall."

Timothy nodded, completely sound with his actions.

"But you did anyway. See Timothy, you're right about the GSR, but what you don't know, is something called transfer. The amount of residue we found on Mel's hand wasn't enough to put the gun in her hand."

Realizing his mistake, the younger of the men jumped from his seat and shouted defensively.

"They deserved it! They treated us both like shit! I don't know Melissa put up with their BS for so long!"

The Lieutenant motioned for the uniformed officer to move in and as the cuffs melodically locked around the fifteen year old's wrists, Horatio tossed in his own words of defense.

"You won't have to put up with it anymore, Tim. But Melissa will. Get him out of my sight." Horatio nearly growled. As the officer hauled his suspect from the room, Calleigh entered and Horatio turned to face her.

"Another one on the books." She spoke sincerely. Her superiors' azure eyes shifted, seemingly finding the expanse of the outside of the lab interesting.

"Not quite. Not quite."

Calleigh read his expression and deciphered his words in an instant. She felt for him, she really did. She shared his concerns of course, but she knew that for him, Melissa Weatherly's situation hit very close to home.

"You wanna help Melissa, don't you." Her friend and superior drew in a sigh and nodded seriously.

"You'll get there, Horatio. I know it." Calleigh assured him.

He continued to stare outside as he heard the echo of her footsteps fade off. He dropped his gaze to his hands and slid his shades onto his face.

"I hope so."

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Lieutenant Caine?" Melissa spoke as she walked towards the redhead. He found himself surprised to hear her voice again, seeing as he expected her to be shipped off to another unforgiving foster home by now. A certain weight lifted itself from his heart and soul and he was undeniably grateful to see the strong young woman once more. He turned in her direction as she approached him outside of the crime lab, sunglasses in hand and standing tall in his infamous position, just as he'd been when they first crossed paths.

"Melissa, everything alright?"

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be if it weren't for you."

Her comment had a sudden effect on him, seizing his heart in a hold of warmth and pride. Horatio Caine was a man who wore his authority lightly, absorbing comments such as hers but never truly feeling the meaning that they were meant to convey.

"So uh, did you speak with Calleigh?" He asked intently. Melissa haphazardly shoved her hands in her pockets as her eyes traveled to the pavement.

"I just spoke with her. They found a new foster home, but uh...the parents rejected me. They're not looking for another mouth to feed right now."

The Lieutenant's mouth notably dropped open ever so slightly upon hearing what she had to say. If there was a sense of fairness to be found, Horatio couldn't see it. He'd only known Melissa Weatherly for a day, but in this case, he had a perfect idea of the hell she'd been through in all of her life.

"I'm so sorry, Melissa. I wish there was something...something I could do for you." His voice noticeably cracked in mid sentence. His feelings of pride and accomplishment were quickly replaced with that of failure and pity. Seeing his despondent reaction, she did her best to reassure him.

"Lieutenant...I mean, Horatio, you've helped me more than anyone has in my life. I'll never forget what you did. Thank you."

She opened her arms and he gladly accepted her kindness. Melissa embraced him with meaning, doing her best to convey her gratitude.

"You're welcome Melissa. You're welcome."

They both pulled apart, and as Horatio continued in idle conversation while pulling out his card, a dark SUV came to a screeching halt in the parking space in front of them. An unbelievably irate gentleman slammed the driver's side door and no sooner began spitting profanity in the redhead's direction.

"You son-of-a-bitch! You're the one who put my nephew in prison! You'll rot in Hell for this, I swear!" The man spat every word with a fiery rage as he made haste in the Lieutenant's direction.

Uniforms in range began to slide their standard issue Beretta handguns from their holsters, but as Timothy Declan's presumed uncle reached behind his back in the direction of his waistband, Melissa reacted in the only way she knew how.

The hell-bent elder disregarded everything around him and centered his aim, dead center to the redhead's chest. He aimed to hit the heart, in the same way his had been when he'd been told that Timothy was being placed in foster care. Now, his rage intensified now that his nephew had been imprisoned.

Horatio desperately grabbed for his Sig Sauer, but even he knew that it was too late. He awaited the bullet's impact, but instead, he felt a greater force. A single shot blew off, followed by the repetitive ones of the uniforms around.

The air left his lungs in a single moment, and as he lay in a daze, he found himself unable to regain a normal breathing pattern as he realized what had transpired.

"Melissa! God, Melissa!" He sat up and crawled across the cement toward the young girl. She was conscious, but the steady flow of blood seeping through her t-shirt confirmed Horatio's worst fear.

"I want rescue here immediately, label it a priority!" The Lieutenant shouted in desperation. He knelt next to Melissa as her breaths came in stressed gasps and wrapped one arm around her head gently, while his other grasped her own.

"Hold on, Melissa. I want you to keep your eyes open, okay sweetheart? Just hold on."

Horatio found it hard to hold it together as he watched the life fade from the young woman in his grasp. The thought of more innocent blood on his hands was almost too much to bear. If anything, he deserved to die, or so he thought.

After what seemed like an eternity, the distant whine of sirens grew closer, and came to a halt just feet away. The paramedics bolted from the rig and wasted no time stabilizing their patient for transport. Melissa had sunk into unconsciousness and everything went downhill in an instant as the medics enlisted a breathing tube to provide her with air. Horatio leaped into the back of the ambulance as they shut the doors, fully prepared to protest should he be reprimanded.

But they didn't. By then, he was pale in the face, and began to seriously question whether or not she would even make it to Grace Memorial. Horatio sat at the furthest corner and let the paramedics do there job, as he did nothing but pray and hope for the best.

* * *

"Lieutenant Caine?" A lab coat clad man spoke softly in an attempt to draw the redhead from his dreary haze.

"Is uh, miss Weatherly going to make it?" He cut straight to the point, and felt his heart drop once her saw the disheartened look on the elder man's face.

"Lieutenant, I'll be completely honest with you. It's hard to tell right now. The bullet entered through her back, sending a small rib fragment into a main artery. The next 24 hours are absolutely vital. If she makes it through the night, then that will tell us a lot. I'm really sorry that I don't have anything better to say."

The Caine man's shoulders slumped visibly, and his eyes traveled to the floor.

"Would it be possible for me to see her?" He asked hesitantly.

"I'll allow it. I apologize if I sound intrusive, but what's your relation to the patient?"

"She's an innocent victim...and she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go see Miss Weatherly."

The doctor nodded understandingly, all the while feeling a great sense of pity for the Lieutenant.

* * *

The redhead took up a seat next to the young girl's hospital bed, only to feel far worse once he saw how bad she looked. Melissa lay completely sedated, the only thing appearing to keep her alive being the respirator working to breath for her.

He sighed heavily and ran a weary hand over his face in attempt to regain his senses. Horatio opened his mouth to speak, and once he found his words, he spoke to her even though he was certain that what he had to say would go unheard.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but uh...I want you to know..." The redhead stopped, his voice trembling with emotion.

"...I want you to know that I'm sorry. I should have taken that bullet, not you. I'm so sorry, Melissa. I'm so, so sorry."

By the time the words escaped his mouth, he was sobbing uncontrollably. After a few moments, he wiped the streaks of tears from his face and redirected his attention towards the wounded young woman before him.

"I want you to do something for me, Melissa. I want you to keep fighting. Do what you do best and fight. I'll be right by your side, do you hear me? I promise."

Horatio gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and as he sat back in his chair, he found himself losing all control as unforgiving sobs wracked his body. His heart stung with remorse not only for Melissa, but for all of the innocent victims he couldn't save. It was only a matter of time before he would know if Melissa Weatherly would join the painfully long list.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**A/N: A big thank you to my reviewers, readers and supporters. I truly hope that you enjoy chapter four!**

He became aware of the soreness in his back in the early hours of the morning, his aching extremities protesting against his uncomfortable way of sleeping. As the distant beeping and hissing of machines registered in his mind, Horatio threw himself into a sense of panic, wanting desperately to know if the young girl had been strong enough to make it through the night.

The redhead rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and sat up straight, scanning the space across from him attentively. A dramatic sigh of relief escaped his mouth once he saw that Melissa was still very much alive. Horatio fished his phone from his pocket and realized that he'd be due at work in an hour. He weighed in on his options and through a wave of conflict, hit speed dial and waited for an answer.

"Hey H, how's Melissa doing? Sorry I didn't call. Everything went south at the lab after the shooting." Eric spoke meaningfully.

"Understandable, brother. Melissa is uh...she's hanging on." Horatio whispered while glancing at the young woman sorrowfully.

"I need a favor, Eric."

"Sure H, what is it?"

As much as he hated what he was about to ask, Horatio continued, keeping Melissa and her condition in mind.

"I need you to cover for me today. I uh, I don't wanna leave Melissa here alone." Delko read the sincerity in his brother's voice and readily agreed to make up for one less team member. Hell, he'd make up for tomorrow if need be. He was willing to do anything to help his superior.

"Sure thing H, no problem. We got you covered. Take as much time as you need." Eric reassured. While he felt bad, Horatio breathed a silent sigh of relief.

The rest of the team began to trickle into the break room, so Delko made his excuses and promised to check in around lunch. As Horatio tucked his phone back into his pocket, he became aware of some sort of movement in his peripheral vision. He turned his head sharply, and felt himself go weightless.

"Melissa?"

* * *

The Lieutenant turned as fast as he could manage, but as his eyes met with the completely still figure lying a few feet from him, his hopes were dashed. Horatio dropped his head and screwed his eyes shut tightly. Was he that distraught that his mind was playing tricks on him?

With no other immediate remedy available, he stood and stretched and made his way to the hospital cafeteria for a hot coffee. His fingers trembled as they tore open a packet of sugar, no doubt a result from stress and lack of sleep. The redhead tossed his stirrer in the trash and made long strides back to Melissa's room in Intensive Care. The dark liquid was damn near scalding, but as it went down, the warmth that greeted him was welcome.

Horatio leaned back into his chair and indulged in the relief that it brought. But while he was sound physically, the empty environment gave his despondent mind room to wander. Perhaps a little too much.

His world had turned upside down long ago, and the weight on his shoulders had only seemed to grow heavier with every setback. To him, he was a lost cause, a sinking ship in the middle of an endless ocean of despair. His conscience was eternally scarred with loss, especially to the ones he was unable to save. He'd failed his own mother and brother, and eventually, his own wife.

The least he could do for Melissa, was hope, and do as he promised. Stay right by her side.

* * *

The morning proved to be idle, and time decided to drag on slowly. Horatio skipped lunch, his appetite almost non-existent. It put his mind at ease in the slightest bit to know that everything at the lab was running along smoothly. While everything was under control on the home front, he couldn't help but stress.

It was not impatience that deep-rooted itself in his heart, but pure anxiety. Melissa was going to pull through and recover.

Wasn't she?

He could deny it all he wanted to, but the possibility still held strong. Half of the odds were stacked in opposition to the both of them. The sedation may never wear off...she may never actually breath on her own ever again...she may never know how sorry he was.

Melissa Weatherly was not just another victim. Her story, her upbringing, her strength had caught the attention of the Lieutenant. It wasn't so much of an emotional attachment to the young foster child as it was raw reflection. Mel Weatherly didn't drop her head and drag her feet when times were hard. She picked herself back up after a fall, dusted herself off and fought on.

It was clear that the pure lapse of time worked to create a tolerance for such verbal and physical abuse. By the time Horatio himself had turned sixteen, his scarred extremities had grown numb to the bite of his father's flying belt buckle. But when it all came down to it, he fought back with tactics of his own, eventually becoming an officer with the NYPD. After all the Hell he'd been through, the feeling of icy metal was welcome. Especially considering that this time, it was that of a gleaming badge, honorably placed in his work-hardened hands.

The very same day, the redhead had made a valiant promise to himself. He would give to others what he never had growing up.

Sheer justice.

* * *

The fiery hue of the sun began to dull into nothingness by late evening and as Horatio began to doze at her bedside, Melissa slowly opened her eyes.

She had no idea where she was, or what had happened. Her mind was absolutely clouded, and the same could be said for her vision. Nothing made sense. Nothing at all. However, once she caught a glimpse of the redheaded man barely a foot away from her, she could once again hear the soft echo of his voice.

_I want you to do something for me, Melissa. I want you to keep fighting. Do what you do best and fight. I'll be right by your side, do you hear me? I promise._

I promise. The two words that had lost their meaning in her life long ago had suddenly come alive.

Somebody had actually kept their promise?

Though his honesty was astonishing, she fell backwards even further and remembered his somber tone of voice, nearly begging for forgiveness. He had no need to be sorry. Melissa knew it, but did Horatio?

Her thoughts were interrupted by real time as her senses tried to restore themselves. A man who she proposed to be a doctor flashed a pen light in her eyes and tried his best to speak clearly.

_What in God's name is he saying? _

"I need a fresh dosage of antibiotics and Intravenous saline. Melissa? I need you to listen to me very carefully. On the count of three I'm going to take the tube out of your throat but I need you to help me do that, okay? When I get to three, I need you to cough. Alright, just breath nice and easy. Here we go. One, two, three."

She did as she was instructed and her sore and tired throat protested as soon as the doctor removed the tube. Her coughing was incessant at first, and as it began to ease up, the doctor and handful of nurses sat her straight up in a more comfortable position.

"You did good, Melissa. Nicely done. Don't try to talk, okay? You've been through a lot and for now, you just need to rest. Lieutenant Caine will be back in a moment."

Melissa nodded her head ever so slightly before a nurse gently fixed her with a nasal cannula of oxygen. Once the hospital staff finished taking care of everything, she looked on attentively as Horatio walked back in. The smallest hint of a smile flitted across his face as he sat down and spoke to her.

"Welcome back, Melissa."


End file.
